Which catfish do I need??
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Which catfish do I need??
Hello all....new to forum here. I just had to take my big pictus cat out of my tank - a friend who works @ LFS took him in. He was too aggressive, believe it or not. He ate 2 bosemanis....I thought the severum was the culprit, but no, it turns out to be the pictus! Anyway, I am looking for some suggestions for what kind(s) of catfish I might want to add to my existing community. I don't think I want anything too big here, but something to coexist nicely with the sev & geo. Any help is appreciated. Thanks all!
54 gallon corner tank - Eheim 2215 cannister filter:
1 Green Severum, 1 Geophagus Heckelii
2 Bosemani rainbows, 2 Danios, 1 Pleco (common, I think)
3 Debauwi catfish, 1 Keyhole Cichlid
1 Green Severum, 1 Geophagus Heckelii
2 Bosemani rainbows, 2 Danios, 1 Pleco (common, I think)
3 Debauwi catfish, 1 Keyhole Cichlid
- Richard B
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Re: Which catfish do I need??
Welcome to Planet Catfish
Pictus really are a predatory fish although a relatively small one & are best kept in groups (of 5+).
If you want some new cats, i'd recommend something like or from the callichthyidae family. Peaceful, active in the day, not too hard to obtain (here in the UK anyway). They are easy to feed & should fit in nicely - they don't have to be kept in big groups so a couple would be ok.
There are loads of others that would be suitable - let's see what others think.

Pictus really are a predatory fish although a relatively small one & are best kept in groups (of 5+).
If you want some new cats, i'd recommend something like or from the callichthyidae family. Peaceful, active in the day, not too hard to obtain (here in the UK anyway). They are easy to feed & should fit in nicely - they don't have to be kept in big groups so a couple would be ok.
There are loads of others that would be suitable - let's see what others think.
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- Carp37
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Re: Which catfish do I need??
Megalechis thoracata are a great choice- it's still among my favourite fish, and can be kept in groups or alone. Callichthys callichthys are also an option if you can find them. Dianema are a fish I've always aspired to keep but they've got a reputation of being pretty delicate so I've never dared to try them!
Megalechis thoracata, Callichthys callichthys, Brochis splendens (and progeny), Corydoras sterbai, C. weitzmani, CW044 cf. pestai, CW021 cf. axelrodi, Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps, Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus (and progeny), Panaque maccus, Panaque nigrolineatus, Synodontis eupterus
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Re: Which catfish do I need??
Thanks.....headed to my LFS today to see what they have.
54 gallon corner tank - Eheim 2215 cannister filter:
1 Green Severum, 1 Geophagus Heckelii
2 Bosemani rainbows, 2 Danios, 1 Pleco (common, I think)
3 Debauwi catfish, 1 Keyhole Cichlid
1 Green Severum, 1 Geophagus Heckelii
2 Bosemani rainbows, 2 Danios, 1 Pleco (common, I think)
3 Debauwi catfish, 1 Keyhole Cichlid
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Re: Which catfish do I need??
What do you think of the Debauwi cats?
54 gallon corner tank - Eheim 2215 cannister filter:
1 Green Severum, 1 Geophagus Heckelii
2 Bosemani rainbows, 2 Danios, 1 Pleco (common, I think)
3 Debauwi catfish, 1 Keyhole Cichlid
1 Green Severum, 1 Geophagus Heckelii
2 Bosemani rainbows, 2 Danios, 1 Pleco (common, I think)
3 Debauwi catfish, 1 Keyhole Cichlid
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- Interests: Central American and Uruguayan fishes
Re: Which catfish do I need??
I think they are as innocent as Dianema or Megalichthys, but will not be able to cope with the same amount of hasslement.
Besides debouwi are African, and many people try to keep at least the continents apart, I'm glad to say
Besides debouwi are African, and many people try to keep at least the continents apart, I'm glad to say
cats have whiskers
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- Posts: 10
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Re: Which catfish do I need??
Does that mean you would not recommend them for my tank?
54 gallon corner tank - Eheim 2215 cannister filter:
1 Green Severum, 1 Geophagus Heckelii
2 Bosemani rainbows, 2 Danios, 1 Pleco (common, I think)
3 Debauwi catfish, 1 Keyhole Cichlid
1 Green Severum, 1 Geophagus Heckelii
2 Bosemani rainbows, 2 Danios, 1 Pleco (common, I think)
3 Debauwi catfish, 1 Keyhole Cichlid
- Richard B
- Posts: 6952
- Joined: 11 Aug 2006, 13:19
- I've donated: $20.00!
- My articles: 9
- My images: 11
- My cats species list: 37 (i:0, k:0)
- My aquaria list: 4 (i:0)
- My BLogs: 2 (i:0, p:29)
- Spotted: 10
- Location 1: on the sofa, or maybe at work?
- Location 2: Warwickshire: UK
- Interests: Tanganyika Catfish, African catfish, Non-loricariid sucker-catfish.
Running, drinking, eating, sci-fi, stapelids
Re: Which catfish do I need??
A great fish! I think it might be a bit small for your tank when severums are bigger, they certainly can't put up with any hassle as they are a naked catfish with no body arnour & should be kept in shoals of 6+.MrDrums wrote:What do you think of the Debauwi cats?
I've not had any problems whatsoever keeping D.longibarbis either mixed with medium community fish or a wide range of peaceful cats. I have found more fussy & harder to get settled but not too delicate & wouldn't hesitate to have them againCarp37 wrote:Megalechis thoracata are a great choice- it's still among my favourite fish, and can be kept in groups or alone. Callichthys callichthys are also an option if you can find them. Dianema are a fish I've always aspired to keep but they've got a reputation of being pretty delicate so I've never dared to try them!
Lou: Every young man's fantasy is to have a three-way.
Jacob: Yeah not with another fu**!ng guy!
Lou: It's still a three-way!
Hot Tub Time Machine: 2010
Jacob: Yeah not with another fu**!ng guy!
Lou: It's still a three-way!
Hot Tub Time Machine: 2010
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- Posts: 2920
- Joined: 21 Dec 2006, 20:35
- My images: 1
- My cats species list: 28 (i:0, k:0)
- Spotted: 8
- Location 1: the Netherlands
- Location 2: Nijmegen the Netherlands
- Interests: Central American and Uruguayan fishes
Re: Which catfish do I need??
Personally I would not mix fishes from different continents, in fact, I think fishes should be kept with fishes similar to ones they can meet in nature.MrDrums wrote:Does that mean you would not recommend them for my tank?
But I'm mostly a cich lid man, and cich lids can cause each other serious damage if communication goes wrong. So I do mind about whether the cich lid can meet Rhineloricaria, but I don't mind obout whether the Rhineloricaria meets cich lids - because the Rhineloricaria will not be able to hurt the cich lids
However I not combining themselves is not the same as recommending not to combine them. for that I know for too little about the African fish involved - for a starter
cats have whiskers
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- Posts: 10
- Joined: 15 Aug 2008, 07:21
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Re: Which catfish do I need??
Well, after much research online and talking to LFS, I settled on 3 Debauwi cats....a bit more interesting for my tastes than corys, and they don't get too big. The sev leaves pretty much everything alone, so I am not too worried about them. The cats are swimming together as we speak. I'll keep you posted on how they turn out.
54 gallon corner tank - Eheim 2215 cannister filter:
1 Green Severum, 1 Geophagus Heckelii
2 Bosemani rainbows, 2 Danios, 1 Pleco (common, I think)
3 Debauwi catfish, 1 Keyhole Cichlid
1 Green Severum, 1 Geophagus Heckelii
2 Bosemani rainbows, 2 Danios, 1 Pleco (common, I think)
3 Debauwi catfish, 1 Keyhole Cichlid